Monthly Archives: October 2011

The Apartment was the last black and white film to win the coveted Best Picture award, and there is no better film to act as that era’s swan song. Jack Lemmon plays C.C. Baxter, the man so nice they named him twice. Baxter is an insurance salesman with a Rolodex as big as his heart, but his ambitions outweigh his dignity. In order to get ahead in his company, he has agreed to lend his apartment to various upper-level managers for their extramarital affairs in exchange for promotions within the company.

When Mr. Sheldrake, the personnel director of the company, suspects that all the praise for Baxter reeks of outside factors at work, he summons Baxter to his office to get to the bottom of it. Of course, when Baxter’s special arrangements are revealed, Mr. Sheldrake wants in as well. Mr. Sheldrake gives Baxter two tickets to see a production of “The Music Man” to secure his night away from the apartment. Baxter sees this as an opportunity to finally ask Miss Kubelik out, an elevator girl that is the talk of every man in the company. The catch: Miss Kubelik happens to be the woman Mr. Sheldrake is going to be bringing to Baxter’s apartment, unbeknownst to Baxter and to Miss Kubelik.

The Apartment was written and directed by Billy Wilder, who won the awards for both aspects of the film. It’s a genuinely sweet film that deals with some pretty dark topics, rendering itself light and dark at the same time. It’s billed as a romantic drama, and there is no denying the chemistry between the two leads, but ultimately it’s about Baxter’s road to self-respect. Baxter leads a lonely life but is oblivious to the fact that he only has himself to blame. Eventually he comes to a crossroad, where he has to choose what’s more important: his career or his dignity?

Although it clocks in at a little over two hours, this is a perfect Friday night movie. It has a little bit of everything, and is expertly crafted for maximum entertainment. Jack Lemmon gives a fantastic performance, and he makes you sympathize with a character that in reality would come off as quite pathetic. The script is very tightly constructed despite its fairly long running time, and fires on all cylinders. This is one of those films where every piece of it fits together perfectly. They don’t make films like this anymore, and I suspect that’s because it’s harder than it appears.

-Nick

Five Easy Pieces rests entirely on Jack Nicholson’s shoulders, and it’s a weight he carries with ease. Nicholson plays Bobby Dupea, and his performance is nothing short of a revelation. Bobby is an oil rigger, and he’s never made much time for anyone or anything. His girlfriend, a waitress with a fondness for commitment, only adds to his daily despair and anger, though inadvertently. With no real plans for the future or use for his past, it seems as though Bobby is destined to lead a mundane life devoid of any passion.

When he gets word that his father is dying, he reluctantly makes the obligatory trip to see his ailing father, who is now mute due to his illness. His family reunion resembles nothing like a vacation, and instead plays out as a coming-of-age story, for a man in his thirties. It turns out that Bobby (or “Robert,” as his family identifies him) comes from a wealthy family whose members are all classically trained musicians, including Bobby. When Bobby falls for a sophisticated music student of his brother’s, he is faced with the problems and complexity of what loving somebody else entails. 

Jack Nicholson takes a character that has been painted with stereotypical strokes, and elevates him into a rich and complex portrait of a man struggling with failed ambitions and familial pressures. The script leaves enough details ambiguous that viewers are left to form their own opinions about Bobby, but this is to the film’s benefit. With such strong writing, it isn’t simply a question of whether Bobby is “good” or “bad,” it’s a character study of a flawed human being.

It’s also worth noting that the film boasts a fantastic soundtrack. Switching between Tammy Wynette country ballads and the titular five classical music pieces from Bobby’s childhood, the soundtrack’s tonal shifts are an extension of the main character himself, a man stuck between two lifestyles: his former and his current.

Five Easy Pieces was released in 1970, and it has aged incredibly well. It paved the way for the slow-moving independent films we take for granted these days. With a strong central performance, uniquely fitting soundtrack, and a script that lends itself to numerous readings, Five Easy Pieces makes for a durable masterpiece.

- Nick

I will admit to being one of the few people on the Planet
Earth who had never seen the Broadway musical The Chorus Line. Somehow, it
slipped by me, so when a friend highly recommended a new documentary called
“Every Little Step,” which is about the auditions for the 2008 Broadway revival
of “The Chorus Line,” I realized that I needed to watch the movie version to
catch up. “Chorus Line: The Movie” was heavily criticized when it came out, and
while I can see why, it was still fun settling down for hour or so with a bowl
of popcorn to watch the glitzy musical numbers, overflowing with energy and
impossibly slender people dancing. Even though the fashions and frizzy
hairstyles of the 80′s have not worn well, and even though the stories of the show
business “gypsies” now seem a bit clichéd, the music, color, and energy trumped
all. So the time flew.

Having watched the Chorus Line, I popped Every Little
Step, into the DVD player. This documentary uses footage from actual audition
tapes for the 2008 Chorus Line revival. Here are the real Vals, Cassies and
Pauls, 25 years after the opening of the Chorus Line, still giving it their all
to win a coveted role. The talent is stunning, and we get to see differing
interpretations of the roles. As with the original Chorus Line, some are
youngsters trying to break into the profession, but others are older and
fighting for their professional lives. This should be required viewing for any
young person who has stars in their eyes and wants to break into show business.
Behind the glamour and glitz of the stage is hard work and, often, heartbreak.

Many young girls get
bitten by the dance bug when they see The Red Shoes, a 1940 film about the
rise of a young ballet dancer and her life on stage. In “The Chorus Line,” one
character, named Val, differentiates herself by saying she hasn’t watched the Red Shoes. So if you watch the above two movies,
consider checking out “The Red Shoes,” to see what all the fuss is about. It
stars Moira Shearer as Vicky Page, a young ballerina who is singled out for
stardom by Lermontov, a ballet impresario. It’s filled with the churning
melodrama of her life and flamboyant dance numbers. It also peers into backstage
life: We see the dancers stretching, loitering, and gossiping, and waiting for
their moment on stage, however brief.  

Lermontov: Why do you want to dance?
Vicky: Why do you want to live?
Lermontov: Well, I don’t know exactly why, but… I must.
Vicky: That’s my answer too.

I’ll admit up front that I’m a Giamatti fan in extremis.  Mr. G. switches personas for this film which is the antithesis of the irascible, curmudgeonly Barney Panofsky character he played with such aplomb in  Barney’s Version.  As Mike Flaherty he is a struggling middle class New Jersey lawyer who is trying to keep his one man practice afloat, while worrying about the strange noises coming from the basement of his building.  His thinking is that is if he ignores them, his problems will vanish, just like his concern about the dead tree in his front yard that is likely to take out his roof in the next big storm.  His worries are consigned to the back burner.  He slips through the days putting one foot in front of the other, a roof over his head, and an IOU to his daughter’s college fund.

In addition to his money woes, Mike is a harried wrestling coach at the local high school, and his team is an embarrassment to say the least.  Talk about stress!  Magically, the answer to his problems seems to appear in the form a a pre-Alzheimers client and his grandson.  HIs elderly client Leo Poplar, played by Burt Young, pleads with Mike to keep him out of the nursing home, but  when Mike finds out that Leo’s guardian is paid $1,500 a month to manage the estate, Mike petitions the court and wins the guardianship.  Mike’s income has just been given a healthy infusion of cash, and Leo finds he must pack his bags and move to the nursing home.  Mike justifies his deception by convincing himself that Leo will be better off in the home.  After all, they have a huge flat screen TV.

In fact it’s Mike who finds himself better off when Leo’s grandson Kyle arrives to stay with his grandfather, and ends up living with Mike and his family by default.  Would it surprise you to learn that Kyle is a former high school wrestling champion?  Mike’s life is moving forward at full speed.  He has more disposable income, and a potential standout for his wrestling team.  Kyle blends well with Mike, whose mild dysfunctional family is a blessing compared  to the drug-hazed disaster that was his childhood.

The film does not fall victim to the sports cliched “underdog wins” movie format, as least not entirely.  Although it was nominated for best sports movie by  ESPY, it is so much more than a jock flick.  At once sweet, funny and deeply human Win Win is a charming slice of flawed humanity.  A natural for Giamatti who plays everyman so well
.